Chapter 1: Motivation for a

Network of Wireless Sensor Nodes

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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Whos Who
Instructor:
Dr Ali El-Mousa

elmousa@ju.edu.jo

23003

Room 415 CPE Dept
3
Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Web Resources
Course:
http://uojcourses.awardspace.com/Wireless%2
0Sensor%20nets/index.html
CPE Department:
http://engineering.ju.edu.jo/Departments/Home.
aspx?DeptName=Computer%20Engineering
Text book:
http://www.wiley.com//legacy/wileychi/dargie/

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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Course Description Highlights 1
Syllabus:
Motivation for a Network of Wireless Sensor Nodes
Applications
Node Architecture
Operating Systems
Medium Access Control
Network Layer Services
Network Layer
Power Management
Time Synchronization
Localization
Security
Sensor Network Programming
Text book:
Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks
By: Waltenegus Dargieand, Christian Poellabauer,
Wiley, 2010 (1st Edition)
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Course Description Highlights 2
Teaching Method:
Lectures mainly using PPT slides
Informal quizzes: Every two weeks
Grading:
Midterm exam 30%
Quizzes 20%
Final 50%
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Answers to FAQ
Course material focuses on concepts rather
than technologies.
There are no make ups for missed quizzes or
exams under any circumstance. So do not be
absent.
Exams will be closed notes and books and they
will be time-limited.
Course material is NOT all from the text book.
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Answers to FAQ
Focus of exam and quizzes will be on
conceptual understanding, and problem-solving
skill.
There will be around five quizzes.
ALL quizzes will be counted.
Every student HAS TO attend the class he/she
registered in. Please DO NOT ASK for changing
classes internally.
Attendance is mandatory. If you are absent for 8
classes or more then you will be banned form
the final exam.

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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Chapter 1: Roadmap
Definitions and background
Challenges and constraints
Overview of topics covered
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Sensing and Sensors
Sensing: technique to gather information about physical
objects or areas
Sensor (transducer): object performing a sensing task;
converting one form of energy in the physical world into
electrical energy

Examples of sensors from biology: the human body
eyes: capture optical information (light)
ears: capture acoustic information (sound)
nose: captures olfactory information (smell)
skin: captures tactile information (shape, texture)
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Sensing (Data Acquisition)
Sensors capture phenomena in the physical world (process, system, plant)
Signal conditioning prepare captured signals for further use (amplification,
attenuation, filtering of unwanted frequencies, etc.)
Analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) translates analog signal into digital
signal
Digital signal is processed and output is often given (via digital-analog
converter and signal conditioner) to an actuator (device able to control the
physical world)



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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Sensor Classifications
Physical property to be monitored determines type of required sensor
Type Examples
Temperature Thermistors, thermocouples
Pressure Pressure gauges, barometers, ionization gauges
Optical Photodiodes, phototransistors, infrared sensors, CCD sensors
Acoustic Piezoelectric resonators, microphones
Mechanical Strain gauges, tactile sensors, capacitive diaphragms, piezoresistive cells
Motion, vibration Accelerometers, mass air flow sensors
Position GPS, ultrasound-based sensors, infrared-based sensors, inclinometers
Electromagnetic Hall-effect sensors, magnetometers
Chemical pH sensors, electrochemical sensors, infrared gas sensors
Humidity Capacitive and resistive sensors, hygrometers, MEMS-based humidity sensors
Radiation Ionization detectors, Geiger-Mueller counters
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Other Classifications
Power supply:
active sensors require external power, i.e., they emit energy
(microwaves, light, sound) to trigger response or detect change in
energy of transmitted signal (e.g., electromagnetic proximity sensor)
passive sensors detect energy in the environment and derive their
power from this energy input (e.g., passive infrared sensor)
Electrical phenomenon:
resistive sensors use changes in electrical resistivity () based on
physical properties such as temperature (resistance R = *l/A)
capacitive sensors use changes in capacitor dimensions or permittivity
() based on physical properties (capacitance C = *A/d)
inductive sensors rely on the principle of inductance (electromagnetic
force is induced by fluctuating current)
piezoelectric sensors rely on materials (crystals, ceramics) that
generate a displacement of charges in response to mechanical
deformation
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Example: Wheatstone Bridge Circuit
R1, R2, and R3 known (R2 adjustable)
Rx is unknown

V
out
= V
CC

R
x
R
3
+ R
x

R
2
R
1
+ R
2
|
\

|
.
|
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Wireless Sensor Network (WSN)
Multiple sensors (often hundreds or thousands) form a network to
cooperatively monitor large or complex physical environments
Acquired information is wirelessly communicated to a base station (BS),
which propagates the information to remote devices for storage, analysis,
and processing
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
History of Wireless Sensor Networks
DARPA:
Distributed Sensor Nets Workshop (1978)
Distributed Sensor Networks (DSN) program (early 1980s)
Sensor Information Technology (SensIT) program
UCLA and Rockwell Science Center
Wireless Integrated Network Sensors (WINS)
Low Power Wireless Integrated Microsensor (LWIM) (1996)
UC-Berkeley
Smart Dust project (1999)
concept of motes: extremely small sensor nodes
Berkeley Wireless Research Center (BWRC)
PicoRadio project (2000)
MIT
AMPS (micro-Adaptive Multidomain Power-aware Sensors) (2005)

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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
History of Wireless Sensor Networks
Recent commercial efforts
Crossbow (www.xbow.com)
Sensoria (www.sensoria.com)
Worldsens (worldsens.citi.insa-lyon.fr)
Dust Networks (www.dustnetworks.com)
Ember Corporation (www.ember.com)

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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
WSN Communication
Characteristics of typical WSN:
low data rates (comparable to dial-up modems)
energy-constrained sensors
IEEE 802.11 family of standards
most widely used WLAN protocols for wireless communications in
general
can be found in early sensor networks or sensors networks without
stringent energy constraints
IEEE 802.15.4 is an example for a protocol that has been designed
specifically for short-range communications in WSNs
low data rates
low power consumption
widely used in academic and commercial WSN solutions
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Single-Hop versus Multi-Hop
Star topology:
every sensor communicates directly (single-hop) with the base station
may require large transmit powers and may be infeasible in large
geographic areas
Mesh topology
sensors serve as relays (forwarders) for other sensor nodes (multi-hop)
may reduce power consumption and allows for larger coverage
introduces the problem of routing

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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Challenges in WSNs: Energy
Sensors typically powered through batteries
replace battery when depleted
recharge battery, e.g., using solar power
discard sensor node when battery depleted
For batteries that cannot be recharged, sensor node should be able to
operate during its entire mission time or until battery can be replaced

Energy efficiency is affected by various aspects of sensor node/network
design
Physical layer:
switching and leakage energy of CMOS-based processors



E
CPU
= E
switch
+ E
leakage
= C
total
*V
dd
2
+V
dd
* I
leak
* At
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Challenges in WSNs: Energy
Medium access control layer:
contention-based strategies lead to energy-costly collisions
problem of idle listening
Network layer:
responsible for finding energy-efficient routes
Operating system:
small memory footprint and efficient task switching
Security:
fast and simple algorithms for encryption, authentication, etc.
Middleware:
in-network processing of sensor data can eliminate redundant data or
aggregate sensor readings



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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Challenges in WSNs: Self-Management
Ad-hoc deployment
many sensor networks are deployed without design
sensors dropped from airplanes (battlefield assessment)
sensors placed wherever currently needed (tracking patients in
disaster zone)
moving sensors (robot teams exploring unknown terrain)
sensor node must have some or all of the following abilities
determine its location
determine identity of neighboring nodes
configure node parameters
discover route(s) to base station
initiate sensing responsibility
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Challenges in WSNs: Self-Management
Unattended operation
once deployed, WSN must operate without human intervention
device adapts to changes in topology, density, and traffic load
device adapts in response to failures

Other terminology
self-organization is the ability to adapt configuration parameters
based on system and environmental state
self-optimization is the ability to monitor and optimize the use of
the limited system resources
self-protection is the ability recognize and protect from intrusions
and attacks
self-healing is the ability to discover, identify, and react to
network disruptions
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Challenges in WSNs: Wireless Networks
Wireless communication faces a variety of challenges
Attenuation:
limits radio range
Multi-hop communication:
increased latency
increased failure/error probability
complicated by use of duty cycles


P
r

P
t
d
2
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Challenges in WSNs: Decentralization
Centralized management (e.g., at the base station) of the network often not
feasible to due large scale of network and energy constraints
Therefore, decentralized (or distributed) solutions often preferred, though
they may perform worse than their centralized counterparts

Example: routing
Centralized:
BS collects information from all sensor nodes
BS establishes optimal routes (e.g., in terms of energy)
BS informs all sensor nodes of routes
can be expensive, especially when the topology changes frequently
Decentralized:
each sensors makes routing decisions based on limited local
information
routes may be nonoptimal, but route establishment/management can be
much cheaper
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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Challenges in WSNs: Design Constraints
Many hardware and software limitations affect the overall system
design

Examples include:
Low processing speeds (to save energy)
Low storage capacities (to allow for small form factor and to save
energy)
Lack of I/O components such as GPS receivers (reduce cost,
size, energy)
Lack of software features such as multi-threading (reduce
software complexity)



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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Challenges in WSNs: Security
Sensor networks often monitor critical infrastructure or carry
sensitive information, making them desirable targets for attacks

Attacks may be facilitated by:
remote and unattended operation
wireless communication
lack of advanced security features due to cost, form factor, or
energy

Conventional security techniques often not feasible due to their
computational, communication, and storage requirements
As a consequence, sensor networks require new solutions for
intrusion detection, encryption, key establishment and distribution,
node authentication, and secrecy




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Fundamentals of Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Practice
Waltenegus Dargie and Christian Poellabauer 2010
Comparison
Traditional Networks Wireless Sensor Networks
General-purpose design; serving many applications Single-purpose design; serving one specific
application
Typical primary design concerns are network
performance and latencies; energy is not a primary
concern
Energy is the main constraint in the design of all
node and network components
Networks are designed and engineered according to
plans
Deployment, network structure, and resource use
are often ad-hoc (without planning)
Devices and networks operate in controlled and mild
environments
Sensor networks often operate in environments with
harsh conditions
Maintenance and repair are common and networks
are typically easy to access
Physical access to sensor nodes is often difficult or
even impossible
Component failure is addressed through
maintenance and repair
Component failure is expected and addressed in the
design of the network
Obtaining global network knowledge is typically
feasible and centralized management is possible
Most decisions are made localized without the
support of a central manager